The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) awarded the “Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium” grants to 30 institutions around the country. The grants are supported through a special gift from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. The Nature Play grants provide financial, logistical, and creative support for zoos and aquariums seeking to increase or enhance family-centered nature experiences in their communities.

The Zoo will use the grant to start three family nature clubs in Western New York and to build a natural playground in the Zoo’s Delta Sonic Heritage Farm exhibit.

The Buffalo Zoo will partner with Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve and Environmental Education Center to create a series of family nature play workshops to be held at various locations during the fall of 2014. The partnership will also establish the first family nature clubs in the Western New York region.

The grant will also provide funds for improving an existing nature play area at Reinstein Woods and the construction of a similar area at the Buffalo Zoo.

Families interested in participating in the workshops or getting involved in the family nature clubs can find information and a registration form for each of three workshops:

Buffalo Zoo, October 11

Reinstein Woods, October 25

Aquarium of Niagara, November 1

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), founded in 1995, is a key pillar in Disney’s efforts to protect the planet and help kids develop lifelong conservation values. DWCF grants provide financial support for: the study of wildlife; the protection of habitats; the development of community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems; and experiences that connect kids to nature through exploration and discovery.

For more information about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, you may visit http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/act-responsibly/environmental-stewardship/disney-worldwide-conservation-fund

For additional information about the Nature Play grants, please visit https://www.aza.org/PressRoom/detail.aspx?id=34564.

As I “meandered” through the woods at the beginning of summer, everything seemed fresher at Reinstein Woods. Maybe it was the fact that I was there right after a heavy summer rain, bringing my granddaughter, Hope, to summer camp.

Hope was excited to start the week long camp, her second year. As we approached the education center, near the deer exclosure, two bright-eyed fawns greeted us. Inside the center, Hope met the new staff, the other campers and her favorite camp director, Brittany.

I gave Hope a kiss when leaving and decided to check on the fawns. They were still there watching closely.

I decided to take a walk and was amazed to find the pink lilies still in bloom and very plentiful. A deer appeared from across the pond, spoke to me, and then leaped away. I traveled around the pond witnessing chipmunks, rabbits, small bunnies and baby chicks. I’m still learning bird sounds but there were many songs, including red winged black birds, woodpeckers and cardinals. I startled several squirrels and painted turtles; the deer returned, bringing her fawn this time.

I really enjoy talking to the young school kids on nature tours at Reinstein Woods but sometimes I miss the quiet solitude of an early morning walk by myself. I headed back to the center when I almost collided with a deer at an intersection (thankfully no one was hurt).

Before summer is gone and we start toward winter, I recommend a visit to Reinstein Woods! Although every season has something to offer, this time of year always seems more exciting.

Thanks to all the summer camp staff, all the “campers” had a great week, even some of the parents and grandparents. Keep up the good work!!!!!

Share in Nature’s Harmony

Mike Gettings, President
Friends of Reinstein Woods

The Town of Amherst Youth and Recreation Department has teamed with Wegmans supermarkets to provide a “Passport to Family Wellness” program that includes Reinstein Woods. The passport highlights Williamsville and Amherst trails, waterways and parklands as well as a few “Trails of Western New York” locations like Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.

Passport holders visit each site and make a rubbing in the passport as a souvenir of their outdoor adventure. Look for the passport post near the Nature Play Area at Reinstein Woods.

Passports can be picked up at the Amherst Senior Center, area Wegmans supermarkets and Amherst Youth & Recreation Department.

Thanks to all of the volunteers and attendees who made the 2014 Meander in the Woods a success! We’ve had lots of requests for the recipes from the sweet & savory snack trail, and Event Chair Karen Smith has graciously provided them here: Meander Recipes – 2014  Enjoy!

On Saturday June 14 at Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, Reinstein Woods’ Cara Politi announced the  winners for the fourth annual Garlic Mustard Challenge. More than 300 volunteers removed 5,100 pounds of the invasive garlic mustard plant from three nature preserves in Western New York, improving hundreds of acres of habitat! The Challenge is a joint effort of Friends of Reinstein Woods, NYSDEC’s Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center, Buffalo Audubon Society and the Western New York Land Conservancy.

To increase their impact , 17 volunteers also removed garlic mustard at the Lewiston Plateau Habitat Area in Lewiston, Niagara County, during a one-day “Super Pull.” Volunteers pulled 277 pounds of garlic mustard in just three hours.

Beaver Meadow Audubon Center claims bragging rights as “Challenge Champion” for harnessing the most volunteer power (pounds of garlic mustard per person) of the three nature preserves. The organization’s 52 volunteers pulled more than 2,394 pounds of garlic mustard!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who participated in the Challenge!

Garlic Mustard Challenge Winners

 Reinstein Woods:

First Place: Riptide Plus, Buffalo (168.75 pounds)
Runner Up: Pack 592, Orchard Park (123.75 pounds)

Beaver Meadow Audubon Center (North Java):

First Place: Olivia’s Mustard, Lancaster (1,113 pounds)
Runner Up: East Pembroke Grange, Pembroke (769 pounds)

Kenneglenn Preserve:                 

First Place: Boy Scout Troop 513, East Aurora (1,016) pounds)
Runner Up: Cub Scout Pack 514, East Aurora (348 pounds)

Lewiston Plateau Habitat Area ‘Super Pull”:

First Place: Unicorn Troop, Kenmore (151.5 pounds)
Runner Up: Daemen YALT, Daemen College (55 pounds)

Friends of Reinstein’s annual Earth Day Appeal is underway, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to all the community members who have donated to date. The funds help Friends of Reinstein continue to provide quality environmental education programs for students, teachers and the general public. Donations are still being accepted, so if you didn’t receive a letter in the mail, feel free to contact Reinstein Woods to request one.

Thank you to the following donors:

Karen Cool
Marlyn Gross
Tom & Andrea Mudd Sr.
Christine Whalley and Kelley Kobel
Ray & Tess Wolniewicz

Cottonwood Level ($25-$49):
Therese Adriaansen
Robin Bobowicz
Patricia Buettner
Gary Degener
Stefanie Ecker
Nancy Fernandez
Carl & Elise Fila
Don Gordon
Roger Gray
Barbara Guancial
K. Juzdowski
Dennis & Rebecca Kaniecki
Dolores Koenig
Irene Konowka
Dennis and Sandra Needham
Sandra Szwarc
Michael & Marcia Szmania
Mare Steiniger
Elaine Hansen
Stuart & Barb Rubin
John & Sally Zloty

White Ash Level ($50):
Maxine Barber
David & Kathy Boice
Michael Campanella
Peter & Teresa Corrigan
Danell DelPrince
Helen Erkkila-Kaukeano
Jade Feeney
Arthur Grupp
Alice LaGraves
Thomas & Sue Lawson
Richard & Nancy Lipka
Charles Rauch
Bob & Shari Rembold
Colette Roseboro
Brigitte Schick
Alan & Carol Lynn Winship

Yellow Birch Level ($75-$99):
Ernest & Mitzi Czapla
Alfred Dittenhauser
Michele Sanner
Michael & Kimberly Tonovitz

Black Walnut Level ($100):
Linda Arndt
Peter & Cheryl Buechi
Mike & Carol Gettings
Scott & Meaghan Green
David & Joyce Hodgson
David & Carolyn Karb
Kenneth Mazur
K. Michaels
Scott & Karen Smith
Thomas Stoll

Sugar Maple Level ($250):
Mary Losi
Paul and Sylvia Tokasz
 

“Kids in the Woods” Summer Day Camps at Reinstein Woods are back for 2014! Every day will be filled with hands-on nature explorations, crafts, and games. Kids will explore the world of the pond, investigate animals, discover natural wonders and more.

Register by March 31, 2014 to receive $10 off your registration fee!

For information on camp schedules and fees, or to download a registration form, visit the summer camps page.

You’ve heard about local areas (like Reinstein Woods) where the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been detected, but do you know how to look for signs and symptoms of an EAB infestation in ash trees on your property or in your community?

If EAB has been detected in your community and you have ash trees, what action should you take? Planning is a key step for those with ash trees, whether a homeowner, woodlot owner, or municipality.

“EAB Biology and BioSurveilance Using Woodpeckering,” a workshop offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will take place Saturday, March 22 from 9:45 am to noon at Reinstein Woods. Participants will learn about the issues surrounding EAB and the economics of addressing an infestation.

Come prepared to be outdoors for the last half hour of the workshop. Part 2 of the workshop will be held in June.

RSVP by March 19 to Sharon Bachman at 716-652-5400 x150 or sin2@cornell.edu.

Friends of Reinstein Woods, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), is renting snowshoes and cross-country skis to the general public at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve on several Sundays this winter.

Weather permitting, snowshoes and skis will be available between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on four Sundays: January 19, February 2, February 16, and February 23, 2014. The fee is $5 per pair of skis or snowshoes. Members of Friends of Reinstein can rent for the discounted rate of $2 per pair. Friends of Reinstein will accept only cash on Sundays.

Visitors can also rent snowshoes and cross-country skis during Reinstein Woods’ normal business hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. During regular business hours, credit cards can be used for rentals totaling $10 or more.

Reinstein Woods is located at 93 Honorine Drive, off of Como Park Boulevard in Depew. The nature preserve has several miles of wide, relatively level trails through forests and wetlands, providing an ideal location to try snowshoes or cross-country skiing for the first time. In addition, Reinstein Woods also offers many “Learn to Ski” and guided snowshoe experiences during the winter months. For a schedule of events, visit www.dec.ny.gov or call Reinstein Woods at (716) 683-5959.